What's a Mom to Do?
by Ariande
Summary: Voldemort has been defeated. When the Order arrives on the scene, the sight is a shock! Children! What is a mother to do? Love them of course. Deaging. Slash HPSS eventually. Post HBP.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: These characters belong to J.K.R. I just want to take them out of the shiny package and play for a bit.

A/N-I know, normally I do Draco/Harry, but this story is different. No matter how I play with it, it just HAS to be Snape/Harry. It screams it. Or rather, it screams at me when I try to tell it otherwise. Really quite annoying. People tell me I shouldn't listen to the voices in my head but if I didn't...Hmmm, I digress. On with the story. Oh! Please review!

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The explosion of light could be seen for miles. The Order watched in horror. Death Eaters started screaming around them, grabbing their arms. Several began to Apparate out of the field. Quickly the Order and the Aurors began to try and round up those Death Eaters that hadn't fled yet. In the chaos, Minerva McGonagall, Arthur and Molly Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Remus Lupin and Neville Longbottom stood staring in the direction of the explosion with horror on their faces. None of them moved for what seemed a very long time.

Almost as one the entire group took off at a run in the direction of the explosion. Molly had tears pouring down her face. Three! Three children, no five! She couldn't lose five of her children. They reached the edge of the clearing and as they tried to run forward were thrown back by an invisible wall of magic. Frantically, the group started working their way around the wall, testing for weaknesses in the magic. After a while, they began working on trying to bring down the wall of magic.

Several hours passed. Aurors began helping, brought there by Tonks. Soon the entire wall was being worked by members of the Order and Aurors and everyone else willing to help. No one knew what had happened. They couldn't see a thing. The wall seemed to go in a large circle close to a mile wide. It was solid and nothing they did seemed able to penetrate the magic. Only three people could have the sheer power to create a force that strong, Albus Dumbledore, who had been killed the year before, Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort who by all indications was also dead, given the reactions of the Death Eaters and Harry James Potter whose status was unknown.

The wall of magic would indicate that he was still alive, but in what condition? What of the team of fighters that he had brought with him: Ron, Fred and George Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape the last two having worked diligently at being spies for the Order after the fiasco at Hogwarts the year before? The last two were instrumental in getting Harry close enough to Voldemort. The twins were to set off a distraction using some of the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes stocks to cause chaos enough to make the Umbridge event seem tame by comparison. Ron and Hermione were there because they were going where Harry went, end of story. They were there for him for seven years and it certainly wasn't going to change now.

Finally, they broke through the wall. Ironically, it was the weakest member of the team, Molly Weasley, driven by her desperation at having over half her children in danger that pushed her way through. The rest of the Order followed through rushing towards the uncertain scene.

What they found when they got to the Riddle mansion was something no one expected to find. The outskirts were littered with the bodies of Death Eaters. The bodies of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were the first found, holding hands at the edge of the yard to the house. They appeared to have been fleeing the area. They drew nearer to the house and found almost nothing. When they entered the front door, cautiously, wands drawn, they were greeted with the sight of three small red-headed children sliding down a large banister. At the foot of the stairs stood a small brunette girl with her hands on her hips scolding the three boys telling them they were going to be injured. At the top of the stairs leaning against the wall was a small boy, smaller than the other children, his hair a platinum blond, a sneer that looked out of place on so young a child but appeared to be masking a look of longing.

The three young red-heads looked up at the gasp of shock from Molly.

"MUMMY! We looked all over for you!" yelled on of the twins. The three boys flung themselves at her each grabbing her for a hug.

Molly stood in shock. Her hand covered her mouth. Slowly she knelt down. She heard the gasps and whispers of the other Order members as they made their way into the house.

The little girl came forward. "I told them they shouldn't be sliding on the stairs. They could have gotten hurt." Molly almost smiled at the adult sounding voice, so similar to the adult girl from just hours before. She looked up at the others who had entered the building. Minerva was doing her best to keep others out.

"Kids, I need you to tell me what happened here," Molly tried to keep the quiver of fear out of her voice. She was scanning the room but couldn't see Harry, Severus or Vol…You-Know-Who.

"I don't know Mummy," said her little Ron. "We woke up in a big room upstairs. We didn't know anybody. But there was a bunch of kids and a big man that looked like a snake. He was still asleep though. He wouldn't wake up, so we decided to play."

"A bunch of kids?" the question was asked by a worried Remus who was scanning for any sign of Harry.

"Yeah. There was the funny white haired boy over there; he said his name is Draco. That's a funny name for a kid isn't it Mummy? And that girl there said her name in My-knee and two other boys. They wouldn't talk to us. They are dummies," This came from one of the twins.

The little girl sighed. "My name is Hermione Granger m'am." She held out her hand. Molly looked at the other adults in confusion. The blond had started down the stairs when he was being talked about and was now standing in front of the group.

"My name is Draco Malfoy," his voice was sneering. "And my father is going to make you sorry you made fun of me." He paused for a moment before moving to kick the shin of the twin that insulted his name.

"Mummy? Why are you so old?" the other twin asked. Molly hadn't yet been able to determine which was which. It had been so long since she had seen them this young. She looked up at her husband.

"It is a long story son," he knelt down beside his wife. The boys looked at their father with confusion.

"Daddy? What happened to your hair? It's all gone!" There was a muffled snicker from behind.

"Like I said, it is a long story. We need to know what happened first son. Where are the other two boys you told us about?" He was starting to get worried. There was no sign of Harry.

"Oh, they are poo-poo heads! We left them upstairs. They wouldn't do anything," Ron said this with a pout on his face.

"They are upstairs m'am. I'll show you," Hermione held out a hand. Molly slowly stood and took the little girls hand in her own. She was far too stunned to think about scolding the young boy for his language. The child-Hermione lead the way up the stairs, Remus and Tonks were following silently.

The room that Hermione led them to was at the end of a long hallway. Molly couldn't hold back another gasp. Lying in the center of the room, dead, was the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Pressed against one wall, shivering and wrapped around himself was a small black haired boy, in the corner in almost the same position was another raven haired young boy. She couldn't tell which child was her Harry as she couldn't see either boy's face and they both wore miniature robes almost identical in appearance.

Very softly she spoke "Harry? Severus?" two heads slowly lifted themselves. They showed identical looks of fear and confusion. One face with black eyes and hair, the other emerald green and a bright red scar above one eye gazed nervously at her.

The little girl holding her hand whispered "They have been like that ever since we woke up. Are they okay?" Molly wasn't sure.

She looked over her shoulder and saw Arthur and Remus behind her. "I think there are too many people here. Can you guys take the other kids back downstairs? And even though…" she waved at the body lying on the floor, her eyes averted, "try to keep the others out until I can get these two to come with me."

Remus looked like he wanted to argue. A light touch from Tonks on his shoulder and another glance at the two terrified boys and he gave a slight nod, taking Hermione's hand in his own. The group slowly made their way down the stairs to wait for Molly Weasley to bring the other two boys along.

Confusion reigned in the house below. The Order had their hands full trying to keep the Ministry workers out of the house. Minerva, Remus and Arthur were busy trying to figure out what had happened to turn the team into a group of children who all appeared to be about five years old.

Upstairs Molly was having problems of her own. As the others left the two boys both seemed to shrink back further than should have been possible. They were almost at opposite ends of the room. Between them and her lay a body of a monster that the whole of the wizarding world was waiting for confirmation was dead.

Slowly she began to move towards the two terrified boys. Her mind was racing trying to figure out what had happened and how she was supposed to deal with this situation. She didn't know how to deal with these two obviously frightened children with the body of a monster behind her. Her own fear pushed aside, she skirted the body and positioned herself in front of it and in between the two children.


	2. Chapter 2

Time seemed to stand still for Molly as she knelt between the two frightened young boys. Harry she knew something about, Severus on the other hand was an unknown. She remembered Ron telling her that Harry had been raised with the word magic being a forbidden word. His Muggle relatives had been enough to question in anyone if maybe the Dark Lord hadn't had the right of it, starving the young child and locking him up. More than once Molly had wondered if that had been the limit of the mistreatment. Judging by the bruises, she felt she now had her answer.

Severus was an unknown. He rarely spoke when at Order Meetings, if he even attended. She didn't have much interaction with him outside of the meetings and the past year his only contact was with Harry himself. This young boy as well showed bruising and other signs of abuse. Molly was at a loss. She seemed to recall Harry and Ron talking about Severus, being a half-blood and suspected that at least Severus would know of magic, so she focused on Harry.

"Harry, child," the boy was looking at her fearfully. "I know you are confused and frightened. I am not going to hurt you. I do need you to come with me. Can you come here?"

The boy was shaking his head rapidly. "Why not?"

"Not supposed to talk to strange people. Aunt Petunia says. She would get very mad," his little voice sounded so scared it made Molly's chest ache.

"Your Aunt Petunia isn't here child. If you come with me we will see what we can do about finding her and getting you something to eat. Okay?" she held out a hand to the boy.

Harry looked at her suspiciously for a long moment before finally creeping forward until he was beside her. Finally Molly shifted her focus to the other child.

"Severus?" she asked quietly. She fought the urge to recoil from the intensity of the dark gaze that was fixed on her. The small child stared at her for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he seemed to find what he was looking for in the depths of her eyes and he slowly moved towards her.

Even as he stood and walked towards Molly, his eyes never left hers. It was extremely disconcerting from such a young child. When he finally stood and walked towards her, Molly breathed a sigh of relief. Harry was still kneeling beside her. He stood as she did, his hand wrapped tightly in the long robes.

Severus hesitantly took the hand that she extended towards him and quietly the three made their way to the door, skirting the body of the former Dark Lord. It was a very relieved mother that finally closed the door on the very disturbing images behind her. She drew in another deep breath, preparing to descend on the chaos she was sure was awaited them below.

Quickly she knelt down and pulled the two boys in front of her. A mixture of emotions flooded her as she looked at the two boys that were looking at her with far too much knowledge for such young bodies. Their eyes held a mixture of fear and trust that weighed heavily on Molly.

"Boys," she spoke softly, hoping to not startle them. "We are going to be going downstairs soon. There are a lot of people there, and other kids. There will be a lot of noise and it will be very confusing, but don't worry. I will be right there, standing beside you. Okay?"

Two heads nodded silently. Shining green eyes gazed at her as Harry asked "Will Aunt Petunia be there?"

"No sweetie," she answered. "Your Aunt Petunia won't be there. We are going to see what we can do about finding her."

"What about my Mummy?" asked Severus, the first words he had spoken.

"She won't be there either dear," answered Molly, for the first time considering what would happen to the children. Ron and Fred and George were hers and she would be…not happy exactly, but more than willing to raise them again if need be. What would become of the Muggleborn and three orphans? She refused to allow Harry to return to those horrid Muggle relatives again.

So it was with more than a little fear that she descended the stairs, a small hand clenched in each of her much larger ones. She was correct in her prediction that there would be chaos when they reached the ground level. Aurors were swarming around the bottom of the stairs demanding to be allowed up. They were being stalled by Tonks, Remus, Minerva and Arthur and a rather intimidating Moody, his eye spinning furiously. The yelling stopped suddenly at the sounds of the three on the stairs.

Molly looked around quickly for her own children. She spotted them playing in the corner with a deck of cards that they had gotten from somewhere. They appeared to be trying to teach Hermione how to play Exploding Snap.

Her focus was suddenly snapped back to the immediate situation when she felt two bodies suddenly pressing against her. She looked down to see the children trying to hide from the staring in her robes.

"Molly? Are they okay?" asked Remus quietly. His gaze was roaming, concerned over Harry. He looked like he was trying to refrain from rushing over to assure himself that the youngster was okay.

"They appear to be. They are really frightened though. I think we need to get them away from here so the Aurors can try and figure out what happened without scaring them," her tone was quiet but the others could easily see the protective mother ready to defend her offspring. None wanted to challenge her, especially when they could see the wisdom of her words.

Minerva approached the Aurors. "If we may, a Portkey to the Hogwarts infirmary would be appreciated right now. Poppy should look them over to make sure there are no ill effects."

"We can't let them go," protested one Auror. "We need to question them about what happened!"

"What do you think a group of five year olds can possibly tell you?" asked Molly, her frustration and worry was growing in leaps and bounds. The more she had time to think, the more things that could have gone wrong started to flash through her head. 

Moody moved toward the group. "She is right. Don't be a bunch of idiots. They will just be at Hogwarts so we will know where to find them. Allow Tonks or myself to accompany them. We will keep track of them."

The Aurors conferred briefly before allowing them to leave for Hogwarts, but only if Tonks and Moody accompanied them. So two Portkeys were made hastily, and the group to return to the school gathered together. She instructed the children to all grab on to the long scarf that had been donated by someone.

After a few moments of organization, and trying to pry the two dark haired boys from her robes, Molly finally came to a decision.

"Harry?" she knelt in front of the child. He looked at her nervously. "We are going for a quick trip. Can Remus hold you so you don't get hurt?" she pointed to the worried werewolf who gave her a grateful look.

Harry looked at the man with nervousness before nodding. He slowly approached the other man who scooped him up, holding him gently. His hands moved across the boy's body, checking for damage.

Molly then directed her attention to the other little boy clinging to her. "Severus, I am going to pick you up so you don't get hurt. Okay?"

Once again she found herself subjected to the intense gaze of the child. He looked at her for only a few seconds before nodding. As she stood holding the young wizard, her body reminded her of how many years it had been since holding a child this age and size even if he was small for his age.

She looked at Arthur and tipped her head towards Hermione. Her own observant gaze had been following all of the events and she willingly went into the older man's hold. Finally, all the children were secure, Draco, Fred, George and Ron used to wizard means of travel and so they did not need to be held. The group once again held tight to the scarf as it was activated.

When they arrived at the hospital wing, it was bustling with activity. Many of the wounded had returned to Hogwarts for treatment rather than to St. Mungo's. Movement slowed at the sound of excited children's chatter filling the air.

Fred and George were exclaiming over the fact that they were actually in Hogwarts. Ron was screeching about falling over when the Portkey stopped, Tonks bent over to check and make sure he hadn't hurt himself. Draco was already demanding to see his parents, insisting that they would be furious at being kept from him. Severus was shaking in Molly's arms and she looked over to see Harry doing the same with Remus. Harry's head was buried in the man's shoulder.

She shifted the young man in her arms to rub his back soothingly and noticed Remus watching her and copying her movements.

"What on earth are these children doing here?!" Poppy rushed over to where the group stood. "What has happened? Who are these kids?" questions flowed rapidly, even as her wand moved over Severus, checking for injuries.

"Poppy," Molly's tone halted the medi-witch. "This is Severus. Remus is holding Harry, Arthur has Hermione. And that is Ron, Fred, George and Draco." She nodded towards each child as she named them off. For the first time she could remember, she saw Poppy drop her wand in shock. She stood frozen for a brief moment before returning to her inspection.

"What happened?" Poppy demanded to know.

"We don't know. Neither do they," answered Remus softly. "The…er… others, collapsed and it took us several hours to get to the house where they were." Remus was choosing his words carefully, not wanting to alarm the children in their care.

Arthur took Hermione over to an empty cot. He set her down carefully, instructing her to stay put. Molly followed with Severus, Remus with Harry. The three children stayed put obediently. Next the adults were faced with a different challenge. Rounding up the three hyper red-haired children, and one blond with a serious attitude problem.

Moody stood, watching over the chaotic events with a stern eye. He made no move to assist, instead stood beside the children placed on the bed watching over the Boy-Who-Lived. He wasn't sure about what the kids remembered, but he knew what he remembered, and he knew the young child was in for some rough times.

Poppy hovered over the kids, casting spells furiously. Before too long, two cots were filled with children. The medi-witch was asking questions quietly of the children. Harry and Severus answered with very soft tones. Hermione's answers were straightforward and direct. Draco had to be threatened and the twins and Ron were rambunctious in their responses.

Molly could feel a headache coming on as the adults separated themselves as far as they could and still be able to watch the children. They discussed what was to become of the kids as Poppy continued her examinations.

"Does anyone know what happened to Severus' family?" asked Molly.

"They died when he was young," answered Minerva. "His mother was killed by his father. His father was later killed by Voldemort."

Molly sucked in a deep breath. "And still he joined?" she asked, shocked.

"Actually," Minerva averted her gaze. "It was why he joined. That was his…gift."

"And Draco…who was supposed to be his guardian if anything happened to his parents when he was younger?" Arthur decided to break the awkward silence with a change of topic.

Again Minerva sighed. "That would be Severus." The adults all registered this complication.

"Has anyone contacted Hermione's family yet?" asked Remus, his attention never leaving the children on the bed.

"Yes," answered the Headmistress. "Professor Sprout volunteered to do that when she saw what was going on. She should be bringing them back here if she can."

The others nodded. "Ron and the twins will of course be returning with us." Arthur stated this quietly but there was no argument from anyone.

"But what happens to the rest of them. You know the Ministry is going to do everything they can to get a hold of Harry. Obviously he can not return to those Muggle relatives. And Draco and Severus are in a lot of danger as well. Any unmarked Death Eaters or supporters are going to be a threat to them. And the Ministry is going to be stubborn about them standing for their crimes."

Minerva's statements were made quietly, but held no less impact on the concerned group. They stood contemplating this as Poppy finished her scans. The weight of the events heavy on their minds. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The characters, etc do not belong to me. They are all JKR's and everyone else that actually made money off from them.

The sombre adults watched as Poppy finished her medical check on the children, casting mild sleeping charms over them as she finished. When she finished, Severus and Harry were asleep in one bed, Ron and Draco moved to another bed, Hermione was on a bed by herself and the twins were in one together. The seven children looked so peaceful as they slept. The look on Poppy's face however, did not.

She approached the Order members who were anxiously waiting for her report. "The children in general appear to be healthy, for being reduced in age like this. Most of them are healthy enough five year olds. The only two that concern me are Harry and Severus. Both of them show long term physical abuse. Harry is also showing signs of malnutrition and poor cleanliness. He had a Muggle parasite called scabies, and head lice. I have treated him for both of them. Both the two boys have bruises all over their bodies."

Remus felt the fury building inside of him with each word. He looked over at Molly and saw the same anger reflected on her face. Slowly he looked around the group and saw anger barely restrained on almost everyone's faces. Except Moody, who was simply nodding.

"I TOLD Albus not to leave him with those…those MUGGLES!" Minerva erupted. "I told him that they were the worst sort, but he insisted that Harry had to be left with family and they were his only family."

With the Headmistress' outburst, a dam broke. Everyone was speaking at once, questions flying; anger outpouring and people began arguing. Remus and Molly both had tears on their faces and even Arthur looked like he was fighting to hold them back.

Slowly Remus made his way over to the bed that Harry and Severus were sleeping on. The two boys looked so peaceful in sleep. He felt regret at the way he had allowed James and Sirius to treat Severus in school. They hadn't known. He was just such a strange boy. And that Harry, his Harry, his child could have gone through all of that because of an old man's idealism. Remus ran a hand through Harry's hair, pulling it back from his face. In sleep the child whimpered slightly and pulled back. Remus felt pain slice through him at the thought of what could engender such a response. 

The door to the hospital wing slammed open, the sight of a slightly out of breath Kingsley rushing into the room silenced everyone. Remus rejoined the group as they approached the Auror, the look on his face said all was not good.

"You need to get them out of here!" he said breathlessly. "The Minister is being stubborn. He has issued arrest warrants for Severus and Draco for being Death Eaters."

The group wasn't entirely surprised but they were outraged all the same. "How can he do that?" exclaimed Molly. "They are just kids!"

"He has been told that, but he thinks that this is just a scheme that they have done to avoid Azkaban." Kingsley explained.

"What about the others? How does he explain that?" asked Arthur.

"He believes that they poisoned the others to cover their tracks. Snape is a Potions Master after all," he held up a hand to stop the questions. "I don't understand his logic, but Harry is the only one that can defend either of them, and currently he isn't able to.

"That isn't all however. The Minister has also decreed that Harry is to be taken into Ministry custody and placed with a proper wizard home where he can be raised properly and with more respect this time," he pushed on in spite of the new objections being raised. "I don't have much time. The MLE is going to be here soon."

The group settled down. "There is one more thing. He has also issued warrants to bring in Remus and Bill"  
Molly screeched in anger. "Why on earth?"

"Greyback," said Remus quietly.

Kingsley nodded at the werewolf. "The Ministry is rounding up all known werewolves."

"But Bill isn't a werewolf," argued Molly.

"No, but the Minister doesn't believe that. He was bitten by a known werewolf, so to him, he must be one as well. I doesn't matter that the werewolf wasn't in transformation." Kingsley explained.

"Quickly," interrupted Minerva, "They are here. Hogwarts' wards have alerted me to them. Grab the children and go to my office. Kingsley, don't be seen. We don't need you in trouble as well."

Moody took Kingsley and Tonks by led each of them away. Tonks was crying herself, and didn't take her eyes off of Remus as she was led to The Great Hall.

Remus scooped up the sleeping Harry. Bill grabbed Ron in his arms, Arthur, Molly, Charlie, Minerva, and Poppy each took a child. The group ran as fast as possible to the Headmistress' office. Minerva lit the fire and grabbed a handful of floo powder.

Throwing it in, she shouted out "The Burrow" and stepped through. Everyone followed her.

"This won't do for long," she said once they were all gathered. "When they figure out you aren't at Hogwarts anymore, they will send the Aurors here to arrest you. We need Arthur at the Ministry now more than ever. Poppy and I have to return. I will send Filius to you. He can do the Fidelius Charm for you. I can't know where you are," she set down the still sleeping Draco on the couch and left. Poppy lay Hermione on the other end of the couch before making her way to the fireplace.

"I will need to know where you guys are. When you get your Secret Keeper, make sure I can come and check on them. I am concerned about Harry and Severus and will bring some healing and nutrient potions," she looked at Molly as she spoke before finally turning to leave.

Remus clutched Harry close to him. His mind swirled. He was wanted by the Ministry and his child needed him. There was no way he was giving up the boy again. It was a mistake the first time and not one he was going to repeat.

"Godric's Hollow," he muttered softly.

"What?" asked Arthur. He appeared as stunned as Remus.

"Godric's Hollow," Remus repeated, more firmly. "Harry has been rebuilding it. Only Severus, Ron, Hermione and myself knew about this. It doesn't have floo connection. Right now, there is no magic affiliated with it. It appears to be a Muggle building. I'll need to take you there myself," Remus was thinking furiously, now having a focus.

He moved towards a large armchair, reluctantly releasing his burden. "Bill, I will take you first, and then come back for Molly. One of us will have to stay there with the kids; the rest will transport the others. We need to go quickly before the Aurors come."

He helped shift Ron onto the seat with Harry, the two boys cramped together. As soon as they were lay down, Remus took a firm grip on the red head and Apparated them to the sprawling home that Harry had built.

"I'll stay and get things ready. You go get the others," Bill offered. Remus nodded and disappeared with a POP.

When he returned to the Burrow, Molly had left her bundle on the couch squeezed in with Draco and Hermione. The two left quickly to reappear at Harry's home.

"I'm going to start bringing the children back," Remus said softly.

"Now that I know where to go, I'll help you," offered Molly.

"No mom, you need to stay here and take care of the kids. I'll transport them," Bill offered. His mother nodded slightly.

"Be careful," she said softly.

The two nodded before leaving. By unspoken agreement, they brought Harry and Severus back first. The second trip had them transporting Draco and Hermione. On the third trip Remus brought Charlie with him, Bill brought Ron. Charlie then returned for the twin, leaving Remus and Bill behind. The fear of the approaching Aurors leaving them in safety.

Finally, after several trips, everyone was brought to Godric's Hollow, including Professor Flitwick who had shown up at the Burrow during the transport.

They had all of the children, who at this point were starting to wake, safely ensconced in the house, the doors locked. They were quietly discussing who to entrust with the secret of their location. Everyone knew the consequences of a bad decision.

"It can't be Charlie or myself," said Arthur quietly. "We need to go back. Ginny and Fleur still need to be told what happened, and we are going to be too obvious."

Remus nodded absently. Molly was wrapped in her husband's arms, crying softly.

"Longbottom," Remus suggested suddenly.

Everyone turned to him in shock. "Why would Aggie Longbottom agree to that?" Molly asked him.

"Not that Longbottom. Neville," he clarified.

"Neville?" exclaimed Bill. "He isn't exactly…" Bill hesitated trying to find a way to phrase his doubts diplomatically.

"He isn't the strongest wizard that is certain. But he is loyal. His loyalty to Harry runs deep. It doesn't take magical strength to be a Secret Keeper, just integrity. He has that in abundance. Additionally, I believe that most people wouldn't begin to think about him being the one," Remus explained his reasons.

Molly nodded. "I agree with Remus. He wouldn't be one the Ministry would expect."

The diminutive Charms Professor volunteered to go and get the young man. He had left the scene of the battle after being assured that his friends were alive and returned to his Gran.

While they waited for Flitwick to return, they talked softly about what was going to happen. Arthur and Charlie left to return to The Burrow and find the rest of their family to inform them of what had happened.

When Neville was brought to the house, he looked extremely nervous but resolved.

"The Professor explained what was happening. I…I'm honoured to do this. I promise I won't let you down," he vowed.

Quickly, the Charms Professor started chanting out the spell to hide the fugitives. Remus felt the waves of magic encompassing him. The strength of the spell caused even the children to slow down and look around. Remus walked over to where Neville was standing, a look of awe on his face. Molly had turned to yell at the children that had resumed their play.

"Thank you Neville. I know this is a big responsibility to place on you, but Harry trusted you and I do too." Neville looked at his former teacher and smiled slightly. He glanced over to where Harry still sat on the couch beside Severus. The two were sitting motionless, but twitching slightly as if they wanted to get down and join in the chaos.

"He really is cute at this age isn't he?" Neville asked.

Remus nodded, the slight smile on his face tempered by the concern that he felt. "He is. They both are. I just hope that this will help," Remus spoke almost talking to himself. He focused on Neville once again.

"We need you to tell Poppy where we are as soon as you can," he said. Neville nodded his agreement. "As for anyone else, use your judgement. Tonks and the rest of the Weasleys can't know for a while yet."

Neville again nodded silently. He took a deep and shaky breath, the weight of the momentous secret that he alone held was heavy in his chest. He didn't know if it was the spell or just the awesome responsibility.

Neville gave one last look around before he left. He had some work to do, people to talk to. He had a duty to protect the children hidden inside this house. More than that, he had a story that needed to be published.

HPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSS

Minerva McGonagall returned to Hogwarts and made herself comfortable at the large desk in her office. Moments later, Poppy arrived. The Medi-witch gave her a brief smile before hurrying off to the hospital wing to tend to her other patients.

When she arrived at the infirmary, she was surprised to see, not Aurors as she expected, but the Grangers. She smiled a relieved smile and indicated that she would be with them in a moment. She gave a brief scan of all of her patients and noting that they all appeared to be in a healing sleep before she turned to the worried parents standing next to the Hufflepuff Head of House.

Poppy herded the small group out of the room and towards the Hall where others were waiting for word on the escape. Along the way, in hushed tones, Poppy filled in the Grangers about their daughter, assuring them that the child was perfectly healthy.

When they reached the Hall, Tonks rushed up to them her hair a dull brown colour, her features lined with worry.

"How are they?" she asked.

"Fine. I don't know where they are, we left them at the Weasley home. I do know they didn't plan on staying there." Poppy answered.

"So you don't know where our daughter is?" asked a slightly enraged Mrs. Granger.

"Mrs. Granger, I left them with Molly Weasley," Poppy tried to placate the other woman. "There is no one else in the world I would trust more with a child."

"Weasley, that is the family that Hermione has spent so much time with right?" asked Mr. Granger.

"You are correct," the response came. Everyone in the group turned to see Minerva entering the room. "Three of her children were also reduced in age. As well as three others, one of them our Potions Professor."

"How long will they be like this?" asked the distressed mother.

"We have no way of knowing. There is no known spell or potion that can produce this result," replied Poppy. She breathed a silent sigh of relief at the appearance of the Headmistress.

"When can we see our daughter?" asked Hermione's father.

"I don't know," started Minerva. She was interrupted by the sudden arrival of the Aurors who had gone to the hospital wing only to find none of the people that they were expecting.

"Headmistress," addressed the young man in the lead. "We are here to take in to custody Draco Lucius Malfoy, Severus Andrew Snape, Remus John Lupin, William Terrance Weasley, and to Ministry custody one Harry James Potter. Please tell us where they may be found."

Minerva gave them a stern look. "They are up in the hospital wing recovering from their ordeal. The children are all sleeping. If you wish to deal with a set of hyper five year olds, please feel free to wake them."

The Auror glared at her. "Do not lie to us Madam. We have just come from there. There are no children there, nor are the werewolves present. We were led to believe that they would be returning to the castle under the watchful eyes of these Aurors." They turned to glare at Mad-Eye Moody and Nymphadora Tonks.

"But…they were just up there. We came down here to talk to the Grangers about their daughter. We weren't gone five minutes," sputtered Tonks.

"Well, they are not there," snapped the irritable Auror.

Moody strode forward, his eye spinning. "Well, don't just stand there like a bunch of imbeciles. Search the castle! They can't have gotten far, you just came in from the entrance so they couldn't have gone that way and you can't Apparate on Hogwarts grounds. Now get busy and quit acting like a bunch of rookies!" he snapped out.

As soon as the group left the room, Moody turned back to the parents.

"We don't know where they have been hidden. If it was possible, we would tell you. In the meantime, Tonks, you and Kingsley better join the search. I have bought them some time I hope. Minerva, you finish explaining everything to the Grangers, Poppy, you should be getting back to the hospital." Moody snapped out the orders and turned to help "search" the castle.

Minerva led the anxious parents over to one of the tables and gestured for them to take a seat. Slowly, she began the story from the beginning, filling in the many details of Voldemort's rise that it appeared their daughter had neglected to inform them of. She finished by explaining what the arrests were about and how they had fled the castle, taking all of the children with them.

"We need to keep them all out of Ministry hands. I am afraid, for all that the Dark Lord is gone, the Ministry at times is not much better. If they were to get a hold of Hermione, or the Weasley children, they would use them as a means to turn over Harry and Draco and Severus. Not to mention, Remus and Bill would do anything, include turn themselves in if it meant protecting the kids," she concluded.

By this time, Mrs. Granger was sobbing in her husband's arms. He too looked visibly shaken. "We obviously can't take her back with us. I mean, how can we explain it? But…we don't know what to do. I want to see my daughter."

"I agree. Trying to explain how your daughter is suddenly five again would be impossible. However, the spell they are going under is nearly impossible to get around. If at all possible, the Secret Keeper will contact you and let you see her. Unless you insist on having her with you, I truly believe that this is the safest for her," Minerva said soothingly.

Mr. Granger nodded slightly. "Thank you for explaining everything. I hate to say this, but I agree. I do want to know when it is possible to visit her."

"If you would like, I can provide you with a room to stay tonight. Hopefully, we will be able to know more later," the Headmistress stood as she made the offer.

Moments later, they were again interrupted. Moody came in to inform her that the Aurors had decided to visit The Burrow to see if the family was there. Minerva gave a slight prayer that the group had successfully made their escape.

She led the two dentists to a portrait on the second floor. Giving the password to the fairy on the portrait, the door swung open. There was little else that could be done for the group. Now she had some injured witches and wizards that she needed to prepare for the family arrivals. She also knew that her statement would soon be demanded to account for the events that had occurred earlier.

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Neville left the house and with one last look behind him, Apparated to Diagon Alley, not too far away. He didn't trust himself to make the distance all the way to Hogwarts.

From Diagon Alley, he borrowed the Floo at The Leaky Cauldron and went to The Three Broomsticks and walked from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. After the battle that day, being fussed over by his Gran, participating in the spell, and now travelling across the UK, he was feeling exhausted, but he kept pushing himself. He had things that still needed to be done.

He made his way to the kitchens of Hogwarts. He knew where they were from Ron and Harry, and found the small house elf, Dobby that had always helped Harry. Giving the secret to the first living creature, he sent Dobby and a very drunk Winky, who Dobby insisted should go with him, to the house. He knew even though there were three adults, the seven children would be too much. And the elves could leave the house and shop without suspicion.

Next he made his way to the Headmistress' office. He got to the office just as she did, escorted by Aurors. His eyes widened nervously.

"Mr. Longbottom," she greeted him. "How may I help you?"

"Um…I just w…wo…wondered how H…Harry is," he stuttered out.

"Mr. Potter was doing quite fine when I last saw him," she answered. Her eyes met his with an intensity that almost made him step back.

Very subtly, he nodded, understanding the unasked question. The Aurors standing beside them noticed nothing, except the near-squib they had heard much about who could barely string two words together. Proving Remus right, they promptly dismissed the young man as unimportant and started to make demands on the Headmistress.

"Mr. Longbottom," she interrupted the flow of questions. "If you go see Madam Pomfrey, she could tell you more about how they were when she saw them."

Neville nodded and fled quickly. After talking to the Medi-witch, he gave her a small slip of paper and left Hogwarts. He had one more stop that he needed to make and debated if it would be too late.

Finally, he decided to go ahead before he ran out of courage. His next stop was the Lovegoods. Once again, he gave out the address to the one reporter that he knew would not bow to sensationalism and would give Harry and the rest a fair representation.

Finally, feeling as though he would drop from sheer fatigue, he made his way home to his worried Gran and toppled in to his bed, asleep nearly before his head hit the pillow. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- Harry Potter and company don't belong to me. They are JKR's own creation. I like to play with them and imagine "what if" but really don't want deadline responsibilities. Ick!

Harry sat in silence on the couch where the man with the grey hair had left him. Occasionally he snuck a peek at the boy that was sitting next to him, or the others that were wandering around. The blond haired boy reminded him of his cousin Dudley, he kept making demands of everyone. But no one seemed to be listening to him. There were three red haired boys that were running around and screaming at each other. They were making a lot of noise and Harry just knew that they were going to get smacked. Aunt Petunia would smack them. But then again, she almost never smacked Dudley. He bit his lip thoughtfully. He looked at the girl who looked like she wanted to cry, but girls were just cry babies and not very interesting.

Finally, he looked at the adults. They all looked really kind. And he liked the way the man had held him. Even if they had done something weird and made his tummy feel icky. They had moved really fast and through the air. It was sort of like a lift, only they didn't step into a small room to move, just grabbed an old scarf. And, he didn't think they had gone up or down. Harry puzzled about what had happened very briefly, but he didn't really understand how a lift worked, he just figured it had to be something similar.

Silently, he watched as the really short man left and returned a few minutes later with another really tall man. They called him Neville and he kept looking at Harry and the other kids with a funny look. Then the short man waved a funny looking stick and Harry felt a cold tingle over his body. He shuddered slightly and noticed that the boy next to him, Severus, did as well.

Shortly after, the man that had held him was saying something to Neville and a lot of the adults were leaving. Something about the man, he thought his name was Remus, but that didn't seem right to Harry. Harry closed his eyes tightly and tried to remember. There was something he should remember, he just knew it. He squeezed his eyes even tighter, picturing the man's grey hair in the blackness behind his eyes. That wasn't right. In his mind the hair was a brown colour, like the trees outside Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house.

He opened his eyes when he heard someone gasp. That usually wasn't good. Aunt Petunia always yelled at him after she gasped like that. The red haired lady, who seemed to be the other boys' mother, was looking at Moo Moo…Harry let out a whimper. Moo Moo. Slowly, he slid off the couch and walked towards the man. His brown hair held no trace of the grey that had threatened to be the primary colour.

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Molly watched as Neville left the house. Slowly, everyone else left, following the young man out, knowing that once they left, they wouldn't be able to find the house again unless Neville shared the information with them. With each person that left, her heart felt slightly heavier. The weight of what she had done grew heavier and harder to bear.

She fought back tears. She couldn't afford to break down just yet. There were seven children that needed to be taken care of first. Two of which she had to tell that their parents weren't coming back. Three of which had little to no knowledge of magic. She turned to confer with Bill and Remus about how to proceed. What she saw when she looked at the werewolf made her gasp in shock.

"What is it Mum," asked Bill. He turned and took a step backwards when he saw what had caused his mother to react.

Remus looked at them questioningly. He glanced over his shoulder and saw nothing out of place.

Molly smiled slightly. "Your hair Remus. It has been a long time since I have seen it that particular shade of brown."

Just then Remus saw Harry walking towards him. He was looking at him with a look of intense concentration that just looked incredibly out of place on such a young and innocent face.

Finally, the small boy stood right in front of him. He looked up at Remus and hesitantly whispered, "Moo Moo?"

Remus felt tears fill his eyes. It had been so long since he had heard that, sixteen and a half years. Memories flooded him as he bent over and picked up the little boy, cradling him close.

_"Can you say Sirius?" Sirius held the toddler on his lap. "Si-re-us," he said slowly._

The little boy on his lap squealed with delight and pointed at the man who had just walked into the room.

"Oh, that's just Moony. Now say Sirius Harry," he coaxed.

"MOO MOO!" squealed the little child.

Remus laughed with delight as a look of horror crossed the boy's godfather's face. He scooped the child into his arms just as Sirius' head hit the table with an audible thump.

"Nooooo," wailed Sirius dramatically.

"Yup. Looks like you owe me five galleons. And James owes Lily a new dress robe." Remus gloated slightly and blew a raspberry on the boy's stomach. Harry giggled and squirmed in his arms. 

Remus smiled at the memory. The happiness faded as he looked into the sombre green eyes. So similar, and yet so very different. The happy, squealing child was gone, replaced with this child that was far older than his five years.

"Yes Harry. I'm Moo Moo," he said with some sadness.

Harry looked at the man that he knew he somehow knew, but didn't know. And now he had made the man upset. Harry suddenly wanted to get down, but he really wasn't sure if it was okay to ask. He didn't remember ever being held before and wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

Remus felt the child tense up in his arms. He gave an inward sigh as he lower Harry to the ground. Once his feet were firmly planted on the ground, Harry scurried back to the couch and climbed up on the spot he had just abandoned. Severus was watching him with wide eyes.

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Draco was terrified. He didn't know anyone, and no one would answer any of his questions. All he wanted to do was start crying but a Malfoy never cries. If a Malfoy wants answers, he demands answers as is his right in life. His father had taught him that. Draco had practiced giving orders to house elves for years. He had never had to practice on adults before. His father always took made sure that he was treated with respect. But these adults were ignoring him.

All he wanted right now was his Mummy and Daddy. IMother and FatherI he reminded himself. When he turned five his daddy, no father, had sat down and explained to him that now he was a big boy and it was time to call them Mother and Father. Daddy and Mummy were what little kids called their parents.

Right now though, he didn't feel like a big boy. He felt like a little kid and he wanted his Mummy and Daddy. He didn't know why they hadn't come to get him yet. They never left him alone this long. He tried to demand answers from some of the other adults but they just gave him a smile and a pat on the head, or ignored him completely.

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Hermione was terrified. There were too many strange people, and stuff that didn't make sense. She was held by the man with the red hair, and then there was that spinning in the air. She was then in what looked like a hospital and a nurse kept waving a stick at her and all the other kids.

She then fell asleep, even though it wasn't her nap time. She didn't even have a chance to brush her teeth first! When she woke up she was in another place, some strange house.

She wondered if she had been kidnapped. Her mum was watching the telly the other night and they were talking about a little kid who had been kidnapped. Her mum explained that it meant that strangers had taken the child away from the parents without their permission. But these people seemed too nice to do something mean like that.

She knew she had started crying, but couldn't seem to stop the tears. She hoped that her mum and dad knew where she was and weren't frightened. Her mum seemed to think that the other little girl's parents would be 'worried sick' and Hermione really didn't want her mum to get sick.

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Ron and the twins didn't really notice much of what was going on. The did wonder for a while why Ron was now the same age as Fred and George, but their Mum didn't seem to be fussing over them like she always did when one of them was sick, so they figured that everything must be okay.

Every now and then, they would look around and see their Mum talking to the other adults. She didn't seem to notice or care that they were running in the house, or using their outdoor voices. It wasn't long before the three of them started to play a rough game of tag, their shrieks and hollers filling the air.

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Severus watched everything with interest. He recognized the magic when it washed over him. His mum had told him in secret about magic. She told him all sorts of stories about Hogwarts. Then she had explained to him that most Muggles, non-magic people, didn't know about magic, and that he shouldn't say anything. When he asked if his dad knew about magic, she told him that yes, his father did know about it but didn't approve.

Severus was slightly confused. Magic was used all over the place here, and he even got to travel by something he thought they called a Portkey, but it just looked like an old scarf to him. He wondered if his dad was wrong about magic being bad. 

He almost gasped when he saw what the boy next to him had done. The man's hair turned colour! He waited for the yelling to start, but no one was yelling. He could tell the other boy was also waiting to be yelled at. But then he suddenly got down and said something to the man. The man looked really happy for a moment and picked up the boy. Severus thought for just a moment, Harry, that was the boy's name.

Then the man wasn't happy anymore. He looked kind of sad, and Harry looked like he wanted to get down. Severus wondered why the other boy didn't just ask to get down. That's what he did when his mum was holding him and embarrassing him at school. She usually laughed and messed up his hair.

He missed his mum. Severus hoped really hard that he could go home soon. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do here. His mum had told him that things were different in the magical world. His dad always said that little boys were to be seen and not heard. One time when his dad had friends over, Severus had tried to ask a question. His father had slapped him hard and sent him to his room without any dinner. But his mum had come up later with some bread and his favorite strawberry jam. She had tucked him in and stroked his hair and told him a story about a giant snake that could turn people into stone or even kill them just by looking at them and a boy who could talk to the snake and gave it an assignment of protecting Hogwarts forever. 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N- I bet you all thought I had forgotten about this…or worse, abandoned it. I promise you though, none of my stories are forgotten or abandoned. I had an entire chapter for both Slytherin Saviors and Mind Meld ready to go but couldn't get into half the sites I post on. Then when I could, my hard drive on my computer fried. I lost both of them. I'm work 50+ hours a week and makes it difficult to write, so it took a while to start recovering. Anyhow, here is the next chapter of this story. Now on to work on re-writing the other two.

Remus looked around the room with a feeling of helplessness. The children were all getting more upset, even Harry and Severus, though they hid it more. Somewhere along the line, it had dawned on Ron and the twins that they were the same age, something that should not have been. Now they were fighting over who was the eldest and how that had happened. Draco and Hermione were still growing steadily more upset, Hermione's tears approaching wails.

He looked over at the other two adults. In hushed tones, it was decided that Bill would take his brothers and attempt to explain the situation to them. Being born to a magical family, they would be more willing to accept the situation. Remus would take Harry and Hermione and both explain what magic was and how they were affected by it. Molly was given the task of explaining to Severus and Draco about both their loss in age, and parents. They discussed how much Severus knew about magic, and concluded that he should know something of it, given his mother was a witch.

Harry stared at the occupants of the room; the upset children were starting to frighten him. He knew something wasn't right. The adults, including his Moo-Moo, seemed to also be upset about something. The only person that didn't seem to be upset was the boy sitting next to him. Harry considered him silently. The other boy was watching the room in silence. He looked a lot Harry himself, his dark hair was rather scruffy in appearance. The skinny frame made Harry wonder if he didn't get to eat like Harry. But Moo-Moo was skinny too, and he was an adult.

Harry looked around some more, the clothes everyone was wearing seemed strange, the sort of stuff that Aunt Petunia would call freakish. But somehow, they seemed familiar. Like Moo-Moo. Harry couldn't figure out why he knew the man's name, and why he seemed familiar.

Harry noticed the big red haired man was taking the three red headed children to another room. Harry saw Moo-Moo go to the bushy haired girl and speak quietly to her. The nice woman with the grey hair was coming towards him. She knelt between the two boys.

"Harry, Severus, we are going to explain what is going on now. I need you to stay with Remus, okay Harry? Severus, you are going to come with me and Draco okay sweetie?" Harry looked at the nice woman, then at Moo-Moo and nodded. Severus tipped his head slightly before nodding and sliding off the couch.

He ignored the hand that Molly was holding out to him and instead choose to follow her. She walked over to Draco. The minute she got near him, he started demanding that she take him to his father. Molly sighed slightly, her patience holding on only by the knowledge of what she had to tell these two children. Exhaustion was starting to wear on her and all she wanted to do was gather all her children, biological and adoptive, to her in a large hug and reassure herself that they were okay. But it was obvious that things weren't okay. Two of them didn't even remember her and several of them were now five years old.

Finally, tired of listening to herself being subjected to a variety of insults and threats from the high strung, miniature, Malfoy, she grabbed his hand and pulled him from the room, complaining the whole way. Once she reached the kitchen, she sat both children at the table and debated where she would begin.

"Mr. Malfoy!" she finally interrupted his tirade. "If you will please be silent for just a moment, I will explain to you just where your parents are and what is going on. I will not however try and talk over you."

She watched as the small blond quieted. "Severus," she turned to the silent brunette perched on the chair. He tentatively turned his head to hers. "What has your mother told you about magic?"

He looked at her for a long moment before saying, "She said that I am going to one day go to a school called Hogwarts where I will learn to be a strong wizard and not make the same mistakes that she made." His answer was quiet, and Molly took a moment to try and understand everything. Finally she sighed.

"That is correct. You will be a very strong wizard. Both of you," she included Draco in her comment. "In fact, both of you were very strong wizards."

She felt the two gazed fix on her with confusion. "Magic can do so much stuff, some of it we don't know how it is done. All of you children were caught in a powerful magic spell. At this time yesterday, both of you were strong wizards. Adult wizards. You had made some choices, decisions that weren't necessarily the best but you had tried to correct it." She paused, uncertain how to explain.

She thought about how she was explaining things, and tried to find smaller words for a five year old to comprehend. How did one try to tell a child that they were spies against the strongest evil wizard of an age, after having first chosen to serve the creature? How did one explain to a young Malfoy that he had defied his parents in the end and led to the death of both elder Malfoys?

She looked at the two children who were staring patiently at her. They had looks of puzzlement on their faces, but seemed to have comprehended what she was saying.

"What sort of decisions?" asked Severus softly.

Molly felt her eyes tear up. "Oh sweetie, it doesn't matter any more. You tried so hard to fix them. That is what is important. You learned from your mistakes."

She saw the suspicion in Severus' eyes. Even at this young an age, he did not take words at their face value, or trust the people speaking them.

"Where are my parents?" asked Draco, slightly fearful.

"Oh honey," Molly started. "They… they have passed away. They were involved in a large battle against a truly evil wizard. It was the same battle that you two and the rest of the children were involved in."

She watched as tears filled the young Malfoy's eyes.

"You lie!" he shouted. Molly hurried over to his side. She gathered him into her arms. The young boy, who until this moment, had been a demanding, arrogant child, much like his teenage self had been, now was reduced to a sobbing, grieving child. She looked over to see a look of slowly dawning comprehension on the other boy's face.

She rubbed Draco's shoulders gently, soothing the child. Sniffling, he pulled away from her.

"Where is Uncle Severus?" he asked her, rubbing his sleeve across his nose.

Molly reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. She dabbed at the grief-stricken child's eyes then held it for him to blow his nose.

"Sweetie, that is part of what I am trying to explain," started Molly.

"I'm his Uncle Severus aren't I" whispered a soft voice from right behind her.

Molly looked up in surprise. She looked at the child who was standing beside them, his eyes shining with his own grief, and understanding far beyond his five years.

"Yes," she answered simply. She watched as he nodded. His eyes shifted away from hers, and he walked back to his own seat.

"Does that mean I have a sister? Or a brother?" he asked curiously.

"No Severus," Molly answered. "You were friends with Draco's father. He named you Draco's godfather."

"Oh. So, Father let us come to the magic world?" he seemed to be struggling to understand everything.

"I don't know. I wish I could answer everything for you, but I really didn't know you that well." Suddenly, Molly wished she had gotten to know the elder Snape and not allowed him to push her away like he did everyone else.

Slowly she settled herself on the ground and pulled Draco into her lap. Tears were still falling from his eyes and he didn't resist her embrace. She cuddled the prickly young man and smiled slightly as he curled into her arms.

"Severus," she waited until the other child looked at her. "Come over here please, and sit beside me."

He looked warily at her, the child in her lap and then at the floor before slowly approaching her. He sat in front of her, where he could keep an eye on her, but not close enough so that she could reach him. Sadly, Molly thought the action was very telling.

She continued her comforting of the child in her lap, slightly relieved to find the actions weren't foreign to him at least. She felt his small chest shuddering with hiccups and teary sniffles.

"How old was I?" asked Severus curiously. He still appeared nervous that he would be reprimanded for speaking out of turn, but his natural child's curiosity was overcoming his need to remain silent.

"You were 39. Fred and George were 19, and the rest were all 17," she explained.

"And my parents, they are also…" he didn't seem able to finish his sentence.

Molly nodded silently. She wished that she could offer this child comfort, but he didn't appear to either want or need her comfort. Unlike the child that was now asleep in her arms, his small chest heaving occasionally, grieving even in sleep.

"How?" asked Severus after a long pause.

"Your mother was," she paused, once more trying to find the words to explain.

"It was Father wasn't it?" he asked with far too much understanding.

Slowly she nodded. "I'm sorry."

"And Father?" his words were so soft, she had to strain to hear them.

"He was killed by an evil wizard many years later," she answered, uncertain how his response would be. Her fears were unfounded when he simply nodded.

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Remus sat on the couch beside Harry. He waited while Bill left with his brother until it was just him and Harry and Hermione. As the room emptied out, the young girl's tears slowed. When she finally looked up at him, Remus patted the empty spot on the seat next to him.

Hesitantly, Hermione walked over to the couch and perched herself primly on the edge. When Remus was certain that she was seated comfortable, he shifted himself and pulled the small Harry into his lap. When all three of them were seated comfortably, Remus drew in a deep breath and tried to figure out how to explain everything that he needed to say.

He looked down at the child currently in his lap. Harry was sitting semi-stiffly, as if uncertain how to sit in a lap. He ran his hand gently across the boy's back and then gently sifted through his hair.

"Harry, you remember me don't you?" He looked at the brilliant green eyes and smiled slightly. He had forgotten how much they gleamed without the glasses obscuring them. Idly he wondered when it was that Harry needed to get glasses.

"I think so. I don't know. I just, your name. And your hair wasn't right," Harry explained softly.

Remus smiled. "What do you remember about your parents?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't remember them. Aunt Petunia says that my father was drunk. And that they died in a car accident because he was drunk. That's how I got my scar."

Remus drew an angry breath and let it out slowly. He tried to release the anger slowly. It wouldn't help with the already skittish children.

"Your aunt lied to you Harry. I won't say that your father never drank, or that he never drank too much on occasion, but in no way was he ever a drunk. But he would never have put you or your mother in danger. Never would he have done anything to cause harm to you. He and your mother loved you very much." Remus paused, trying to find a way to explain magic and the events leading to where they were now.

"Harry, Hermione," he waited for the young girl to look up at him. Slowly, Remus shifted Harry until he was sitting next to Hermione and moved to kneel in front of them.

"I need both of you to listen to what I have to say. I know you will have a number of questions, and I will let you ask anything you want, I just want for you to listen to everything first? Can you do that for me?" He smiled slightly as the naturally curious girl nodded in agreement. Somehow, he suspected that if the five year old version of this child was anything like her teen version, she wouldn't last long before wanting to explode with questions.

"First, I want to explain to both of you, no matter what you have been told, Magic does exist," he watched a slightly frightened look on Harry's face. His head shook slightly, as did the small body.

"Uncle Vernon…" he whispered.

"I know Harry, your uncle knows it exists. He doesn't want you to be a wizard," Remus wasn't sure how to overcome the fears of this child. Already it was ingrained in him to not believe in magic.

"Harry, your parents, myself, we are wizards. You are a wizard. Hermione," he shifted his attention to the little girl. "You are a witch. Both of you have a lot of strength."

"Can you show me magic?" queried the small girl.

Remus smiled. He pulled out his wand and with a quick flick, he transfigured a button into a flower before handing it to the child.

Her eyes were wide as she reached out to take the flower from him. "Can you do anything else?" she asked with a mix of curiosity and awe.

Harry however had flinched at the show of magic. The change of the button into a flower had caused fear to flash across his face.

"Yes Hermione, when I am done talking to you both, I will show you anything," he smiled at her.

"Yesterday, both you Harry, and you, Hermione were 17 years old." He watched as their eyes grew wide. Briefly he wondered if perhaps he should have eased into the explination a bit more.

"You were involved in a… fight. The whole group of you were turned into five year olds." Remus smiled.

"How come I don't remember anyone? Is that why those boys were fighting about the fact that they were the same age? Why were we fighting? I'm not allowed to fight," Hermione's questions were already flowing from the young child.

Remus fought a chuckle, knowing that her questions were valid, however, she reminded him greatly of the young teen that he had in his classroom several years earlier.

"Hermione, you promised to let me explain," he reminded gently.

Her eyes grew wide. She covered her mouth with a hand and nodded eagerly.

"We know a lot about magic, but something like this has never happened before. We don't know how you were turned into children. The only people that were there to see it were all turned into kids," Remus sighed slightly. "Or died," he added gently.

"The guy in the middle of the room," Hermione started to ask, before covering her mouth again.

"Yes Hermione, he was dead," Remus hoped that he wouldn't have to go into too much more detail, not sure if a five year old child would be able to comprehend their part in the death of another person, evil or otherwise.

"What is going to happen to us?" asked Harry softly.

"You are going to stay here, with Molly, Bill and I," Remus answered.

"What about me?" wailed Hermione suddenly.

"Hermione," he waited quietly until she settled down and looked at him. "We have sent someone to get your parents. They should be here tomorrow or the next day. When they get here, we will talk about what will happen with you. Since this is caused by magic, we are going to need you to stay nearby in order to find a cure, but I know you want your parents. For tonight at least, can you look at this like a large sleep-over party?"

She sniffled slightly. "Mommy and Daddy are coming here?"

Remus nodded. "They are. It is just going to take some time to get them here."

"Okay," she answered softly.

"Now, I need both of you to listen for just a little longer," he looked into their ernest faces.

"Molly has taken Draco and Severus to talk to them because she needs to tell them a little more information," he hesitantly approached his next topic. "Draco and Severus' parents have died. Those two boys are all alone, and neither of them know anyone here. Unlike you Hermione, there parents won't be able to come and get them. Do you think you will be able to help them?"

Remus watched as Harry nodded in empathy. He knew what it was like to not have any parents. Hermione's eyes grew wide. She couldn't imagine not being able to go to her Mummy. She felt sad for the obnoxious blond and the quiet boy.

Remus watched as both children nodded solemly.

With a sudden smile, Remus once again drew his wand. He gave a quick wave and cast a Tickling Charm at them. He laughed lightly as they both squealed and started giggling. Just as suddenly he ended the spell and swept them both into his arms in a big hug.


End file.
